


Puzzle pieces

by foxy_the_foxy_fox



Category: A Separate Peace
Genre: AU from the end of chapter 11, I FIXED IT GUYS, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-20
Updated: 2014-12-20
Packaged: 2018-03-02 09:19:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2807408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foxy_the_foxy_fox/pseuds/foxy_the_foxy_fox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Before Finny could leave the room, I stood and shouted at him. <br/>"Wait!" He stopped and turned to face me. </p>
<p>What if Gene had stopped Finny from leaving, and Finny doesn't fall down the stairs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part 1

Before Finny could leave the room, I stood and shouted at him.  
"Wait!" He stopped and turned to face me.  
I looked at his face firmly, and in my mind, I silently asked for forgiveness. His face doesn't show any sign of understanding, but I never was the best at reading him. I turn to face Brinker and the other boys.  
"Everyone who wants to know what happened the day of Finny's accident, better listen up, because I'm only going to say this once."  
Everyone looked at me expectingly.  
"I was standing up on the limb with Finny. The sun was shining through the leaves, I remember I could see every hair on his head."  
I don't usually like telling people all the things I see when I look at Phineas, but Brinker was right. I remembered every detail of the accident.  
"I was nervous. I'd jumped out of the tree before, most of us had, but we all looked like shit compared to Finny."  
By this point, I wasn't talking to the rest of the boys anymore, just Finny.  
"My leg was shaking. I probably could've stopped it, but I never thought Finny would've fallen."  
The more I told my story, the more I realized it was true. I'd felt guilty for pushing Finny off the branch, when my only crime was thinking he was anything less than perfect, then being to rough. I realized deep in my heart, if I thought Finny would've fallen, the limb would've never shaken.  
"I- my leg that is- it jounced the limb." There were some gasps from the boys but I wasn't done.  
"It's my fault, Finny, it's all my fault."  
Tears, that had threatened to fall my entire confession finally spilled out of my eyes. I hung my head, that was it. Finny would be through with me for good, now that he knew how pitiful I was. I hadn't realized how much it would hurt until it was upon me. I couldn't even look up, but I heard the slap of his cane on the ground as he made his way to me.  
"Gene, you're so goddamn dumb."  
I looked up, shocked. Finny was standing in front of me, and I could see he was crying too. He made a little smile at me, but before I could begin to contemplate what THAT meant, he was turning to Brinker.  
"If you ever pull shit like this again, I will beat you to death with this."  
He swung the cane, hard, at Brinkers face. It looked like it would bleed, if not leave a mark.  
"My leg might be broken, but my arms just fine. You coming Gene?"  
When he looked at me, his whole demeanor shifted. Back was the Finny I knew, and I realized that he was defending me.  
I nodded and stood up to follow him. We made our way back to the dorms, being especially careful of the marble stairs.


	2. Part 2

Back at our room, we both get ready for bed in complete silence. I was far too afraid for the fragile forgiveness Finny seemed to have given him would shatter like glass, when he realized my transgression, so I didn't say a word. I had already made it all the way to my cot when I realized Finny was following me. He sat down, next to me on my bed.  
"I knew you shook the limb," he began.  
"You did?" I looked up at him with wide eyes.  
"The whole limb shook. Nothing but another human could've caused that. I may get bad grades, but I'm not an idiot."  
"Then why didn't you say anything?" Why don't you hate me, was what I was really asking.  
"Gene, before I fell I looked back at you, remember?"  
"Of course." I remembered every detail about that day.  
"Well, when I looked at you, you were so shocked to see me falling. You never meant to hurt me. You never broke my trust." Finny said all of this like they're undeniable truths. As if he was saying the sky is blue, grass is green, Gene didn't mean to hurt me.  
I stared at him in wonder.  
"What?" He asked.  
"How are you so perfect?" I whispered, hardly believing I'm speaking out loud.  
He chuckled in response, "Is that what you think? Sorry to disappoint Gene but I'm far from perfect. I'm not even good enough for the army."  
"The army? What are you talking about?" Up until a few days ago, I thought Finny truly believed the war was a scam. What did he mean about not being good enough?  
"I tried to enlist, but they said I couldn't. Because of my leg." He looked sad, more sad than I'd ever seen him. And it was all because of me.  
Finny must've sensed my shift in attitude because he reached out and put his hands on my shoulders. I looked deeply into his blue-green eyes, and I had the sudden realization that I'd never seen something more beautiful. We sat staring at each other for a long time until Finny cleared his throat and told me something I'll never forget.  
"Gene, I don't need my leg, I don't need the army, I don't need a single thing in the entire world. I just need you."  
Our faces were so close, we're breathing the same air. His breath smelt like peppermint. My eyes slid close and our lips softly met. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and melted into him. I brought my hands to his waist and he threaded his fingers through my hair. He pulled my head toward him, deepened the kiss. We continued on until both of us needed to breath and we broke apart.  
I brought one of my hands up to one of his on my neck and held it.  
"I just have one question. Why were you enlisting if you wanted to stay with me?" I asked quietly. I didn't want to ruin this beautiful thing before it starts, but I had to know.  
"Gene. You're an able-bodied young man. Even if you don't enlist, you'll be drafted before the year is out." He told me, hurt clear in his voice, "if I enlisted, there was a chance of us staying toge-"  
"Finny," I interrupted, "you're forgetting something."  
"What?" He asked, and I saw a flicker of hope in his eyes.  
"When they question you to see if you're able to be drafted, they ask a lot of personal questions right?"  
"Yeah to make sure you're not nutters."  
"Most of them yeah. But they also ask you if you've ever been involved in a sexual homosexual relationship. I think it's because it'd be too distracting for the fairy, or make the other soldiers feel uncomfortable. But whatever the reason when they hear I have, they won't want me to be anywhere near their army."  
"That's a good idea Gene. Just one problem. You've never been in a sexual homosexual relationship."  
I smirked at him, "Would you like to help me with that?"  
The glint in his eyes were answer enough.


End file.
